Body Warmth
by Random Dice
Summary: "Hey, hey, don't try to talk too much." Emma told her, helping her lay back down. "You and Henry are sick." She sighed and scratched her head, not sure exactly what she was suppose to do. A good person would stay with them and nurse them back to health or until Regina could support herself enough to care for both herself and the sick little boy .


**Title:** Body Warmth  
**Fandom:** Once Upon a Time  
**Pairings:** Swan Queen  
**Rating:** K+  
**Spoilers:** No.  
**Summary: **"Hey, hey, don't try to talk too much." Emma told her, helping her lay back down. "You and Henry are sick." She sighed and scratched her head, not sure exactly what she was suppose to do. A good person would stay with them and nurse them back to health (or until Regina could support herself enough to care for both herself and the sick little boy).  
**Author's Note:** I've had this on my mind for the past couple days and I decided that I was going to write this (rather than writing the three other fics I have almost done and open in word). This is pre-Swan Queen. Enjoy._ Edit: I just found this and decided to upload it._  
**Disclaimer: **I own nothing, but goddamn I want to.

/

Emma was leaning over her desk at the station, filling out a police report, when her cell phone rang. She let it ring. She had too much paper work to do to be talking to someone, who was most likely Mary Margaret. After a minute, the beepings in the office stopped only to start again the next second. The blonde sighed, knowing she wouldn't get any work done unless she answered it, yanked her phone from its clip and clicked the green answer button.

"Sheriff Swan."

"Hey Emma," _Mary Margaret_ "I'm sorry for calling, I know you said you'd be busy today, but have you seen Henry?"

Emma sat forward with a frown. "No. Is he not at school?" As soon as the question escaped her mouth, she rolled her eyes. _If he was at school, his teacher wouldn't be calling, asking where he is_.

"He isn't and I called the Mayor's office to ask Regina if he was sick, but her secretary said that she didn't come to work today. Apparently she's missed several important meetings with shop owners and Alexia said that she hasn't been able to contact the Mayor." Mary Margaret told her, a hint of concern in the undercurrent of her tone. "I'm worried that no one knows where Henry and Regina are."

"Did anyone check their house?" Emma was on her feet, slipping her red leather jacket on, and grabbing her keys to her yellow bug.

"I don't think so, could you?"

"I'm already on my way." She hung up and walked out of the station.

/

"Hello?" Emma called into the seemingly empty, yet warm, house. She glanced back outside to make sure that Regina's car was still in the driveway before walking further into the house, closing the door behind her as to not let any cold seep in. "Madame Mayor?" Henry's backpack was next to the front door, waiting to be brought to school. "Henry?" She was about to search the rest of the lower floor when a sound from upstairs caught her attention.

The Sheriff made her way up the U-shaped stairs and the sound had disappeared. She checked Henry's room and moved on when she saw no one in the boy's space. A small cough pulled her to the Mayor's master suite of a room. Quietly pushing the door open, her jaw fell at what was before her.

Both Mother and child were sprawled on Regina's large bed with Henry on one side, wrapped tightly in the blue blanket that usually stretched across the mattress and Regina, shivering under a thin sheet, on the other. Emma could see from the leg that stuck out on Henry's side that the boy wore dark blue pajama bottoms with planets scattered across.

Emma stepped into the room, taking in the stillness of the room and the piles of tissues on both side tables, and walked over to Henry's side of the bed. A pink flush covered his barely visible cheeks and Emma frowned. She placed the back of her fingers on his damp forehead. Her frown deepened at the heat radiating off him.

She switched sides and kneeled beside Regina. She sported the same flush the Henry did and the hair around her face stuck with sweat to her forehead and cheeks. Emma shook the woman softly to wake her up. It took a few tries before Regina blinked. Seeing the brown eyes, normally clear as the sky is blue, dull with a hazy sickness made Emma shake her head.

She was startled to see the Mayor struggle to get into a sitting position. "Sheriff Swan?" A croaky, raw voice whispered out. Emma didn't know what to do, she settled on nodding with a wince. "What are you-" Her words were cut off by her own coughing, light and obviously doing more harm than good. The blonde frowned and rubbed Regina's tank top clad back, an action she picked up from one of her foster parents.

"Hey, hey, don't try to talk too much." Emma told her, helping her lay back down. "You and Henry are sick." She sighed and scratched her head, not sure exactly what she was suppose to do. A good person would stay with them and nurse them back to health (or until Regina could support herself enough to care for both herself and the sick little boy). Having the hardened-by-life Mayor stare at her with almost unseeing eyes decided for Emma.

"Mom…" Henry's congested voice moaned next to Regina. He wiggled out of the blanket and crawled with minimal energy to the equally sick brunette. He dropped himself onto his Mother, his small journey zapping the little strength he had managed to keep. Regina let out an _oof_, but made no move to push the kid off her overheated body.

"I'll be right back." Emma told them and left the room, standing in the hall outside of Regina's bedroom. She got her phone out and dialed the familiar number. "Come on Mary Margaret." She mumbled, running a hand through her hair.

"Did you find them?"

"Yeah. It seems the flu struck."

She heard the schoolteacher gasp a little on the other end. "Poor Henry. Is Regina sick too?"

"It would appear so. I'm going to stay and see what I can do, but…" Emma trailed off, not wanting to admit she didn't know how to take care of another person, let along two _sick_ someones. Luckily, her roommate knew what she was saying.

"Don't worry. I'll call Granny to see if she can have some soup dropped off. Do you need anything else?"

/

Emma got off the phone and went back into the bedroom of her sick enemy. Regina was curled around Henry while the boy clung onto the older woman. Emma noticed both were shivering and feeding off the heat from each other. She grabbed the blanket that Henry was wrapped in and snapped it into the air. It fluttered down slowly, covering their ill bodies.

The shaking wasn't so violent anymore, but she could still see the small shivers that racked their bodies. Feeling content to leave the sleeping pair for a moment, Emma went in search for any type of medicine. "How can no one have a thermometer?" She asked herself, bringing the aspirin and bottles of water into the room. "Wait a minute." She looked around the room, seeing only Henry in the bed, neatly tucked in.

A retching from the other room had her put the objects on the foot of the bed and run to the bathroom.

Regina had her head on the edge of the toilet seat, her breathing heavy. Emma walked over to her and smoothed the dark hair back. The sickened woman flinched at the comforting touch. She leaned away, propping herself on the wall. Emma put the seat down without a word and flushed the contents of Regina Mills' stomach.

"I didn't ask for your help." Regina told her, voice hoarse from coughing and throwing up.

"No, you didn't." Emma agreed. "But I'm going to give it anyway." The older woman made to argue, but Emma noticed her already pale face turn green. The blonde quickly lifted the lid and helped Regina lean over the toilet.

/

Settling Regina back in bed took longer than Emma has expected. The older woman could barely hold herself up, let alone walk, making Emma wonder how she got to the bathroom in the first place. Laying the brunette down, the blonde immediately heard the doorbell ring charmingly downstairs. "Who-?" Henry gasped, startled into a delirium filled reality.

Regina rolled on her side. Henry gravitated toward his dark haired Mother like a babe to a breast. He buried his face in the brunette's chest. Listening to Regina's half coherent mumbles to the boy, Emma remembered that someone was waiting for her to come answer the door. "I'll be right back."

She tip toed out of the room, leaving the door open behind her so she could hear if they made any unusual sounds. As she reached the door, Emma swung it open to reveal Ruby bundled in warm clothes with several bags in each hand. "What are you doing here?" Emma asked, not moving to let the brunette in.

Ruby rolled her eyes and shuffled back and forth. "Mary Margret sent me, now lemme in."

/

After placing the soup in the refrigerator, Emma grabbed several wash cloths and the medicine that Ruby brought with her and made her way back up to Regina's bedroom. She smiled involuntarily when she saw the brunettes cuddled closely together with matching fever-induced-flushes and small frowns. It shouldn't have been as cute as it was, but Emma couldn't help wishing that she could take care of the Mills all the time if those looks would be her reward.

Bringing the medicine to Regina's side first, Emma shook the sick woman's shoulder gently, not wanting to bother Henry just yet. It took longer than the first time to wake the brunette, but the dazed and slightly confused face was still there. "Regina." The blonde sat on the side of the bed, making to open the liquid medicine that Ruby swore up and down that would get them better in no time. "Regina, I brought some stuff that'll make you feel better."

Regina turned onto her back-Henry still in her side-and stared at the blonde to comprehend her words. Emma had to hold up the shady looking bottle for Regina to understand. She immediately shook her head back and forth while pinching her lips together so Emma couldn't force her to take the gross tasting vile medicine. The blonde rolled her eyes and sighed out a laugh. "Who knew the big bad Mayor of Storybrooke was actually a big baby?"

It took ten minutes to get both 'patients' to take the medicine. Emma laughed out loud at twin looks of disgust that crossed their faces and laughed harder when they glared at her for laughing. Regina and Henry quickly fell back into a restless sleep, this time at opposite ends of the bed, much like how they were when Emma had found them.

Emma, not knowing what to do and feeling uncomfortable in the Mayor's house while she slept, stayed in Regina's room, reading the _Lovely Bones_ that was on Regina's bedside after she cleaned up all the tissues with a scrunched up face. Every once in a while she would be interrupted. One or both needing to throw up, a wet cloth on both foreheads to sooth the fever, the two moving toward each other to get warmth then moving away because they were both drenched in sweat, changing clothes because their sweat soaked them.

She had gotten far, reaching the part where the Dad had a heart attack, when she noticed that the shivering had not calmed down in the slightest. With a sigh, Emma placed the book back on the table and moved to take off her shoes. She put them by her jacket that had taken off hours ago and gingerly crawled into bed with Regina and Henry, dropping gracefully in between them with her head on the pillows.

She started with Henry first, rolling him toward her with the promise of getting warm. He attached himself to her, like he did to Regina earlier. Emma smoothed his hair back with one hand, frowning when he felt as hot as he did when she checked him before. When she turned to Regina, she found the woman watching her sleepily, an eyebrow barely raised. "Wanna snuggle with me too?" Emma joked, holding out her arm that was on Regina's side.

The corner of the brunette's mouth dipped downward. She watched Emma for a moment before closing her eyes, hoping to fall back asleep. Emma crossed her eyes at the woman's stubbornness. She reached over and awkwardly wrapped her arm around Regina's head, her forearm cradling the back of the dark woman's skull, trying to entice the woman in with dry body heat.

Emma found herself dozing when another overly warm body pressed into her other side. Emma managed a grin while wrapping an arm around Regina who finally succumbed to needing Emma, if only her body. "Shut up." She muttered, her breath rushing across the skin of Emma's shoulder. The blonde chuckled and let herself be dragged under.


End file.
